The Game
by Aidesi
Summary: Simon and Clary decide to play Shadow Hunt, the hottest virtual video game on the planet. But something goes wrong and suddenly Simon's in the game with no sign of Clary. His only companion is his avatar, a game characters named Jace who is programmed to protect him. When the game is as real as reality, and game over means death, how will Simon ever find Clary before it's too late?


GAME OVER

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Clary sputtered flustered as she turned the game controller over in her hands. Simon's lips twitched into a subtle smile as he patiently pressed the pause button before turning to his best friend.

"You do know that we have only been playing for about seven seconds right?" Simon asked teasingly, delighting in his best friends blush. Clary shoved him in the shoulder, making Simon laugh.

"Shut up! I didn't know what to do okay? Which button…which button kicks again?" Clary asked irritably as she examined the control in frustration. Simon's smile widened despite himself as he chuckled.

"We are walking into the village for supplies Clary, why in the world would you need to kick someone? These poor villagers did nothing to deserve your terrorism!" Simon joked and Clary's own lips quirked into a smile before she pushed him again. Simon laughed, before shifting to face Clary gracefully. "Right then, X and RT to dropkick and X and RB to spin and kick. And of course it's X for just a simple kick."

"Then what does B do?" Clary asked, her nose wrinkled in confusion as she stares steadily at the controller in her hands. Simon purses his lips, to stifle his grin, watching Clary's delicate features twist in bewilderment. His heart squeezes in that way that he can't quite explain as he looks over the freckles on the bridge of her nose and analyses the soft curve of her cheek bones. Clary's green eyes are suddenly on him and he flinches slightly, blushing in embarrassment.

"Uh, well that's um, that's the one that will get your weapon out and strike. If you have an arrow or something than you'd need to use LT to actually aim and then B to shoot but if you've got a sword then…B will go right ahead…." Simon ran his tongue over the backs of his teeth nervously before turning to Clary and grinning. Clary's eyes were clouded with confusion as she stared at Simon and Simon felt his heart thud painfully under her scrutiny.

"Why isn't B just kick?" Clary asked instead, seeming to dismiss Simon's oddity. Simon let out a soft sigh before grinning crookedly.

"And why would B be kick?" Simon asked as he hopped off the bed and went up to the television. Simon had recently been inside with his games a lot more often (due to his feelings for s certain redhead) and Clary had decided that if he wasn't going to leave the house, then she was going to come and join him. After about an hour of watching she got bored and insisted she play as well. After Simon's shock wore off Clary dragged him into his own room, saying that the best place to play this game was his bedroom where she could scream if she got frustrated and not worry about bothering his parents. Simon had to physically stop the thoughts of what else he and Clary could be doing that would be very loud and possibly disturb his parents, because it was wrong to think about your best friend that way. No matter how freaking _gorgeous_ and _funny_ and _clever_ she was. It was _wrong_.

"Well isn't it obvious?" Clary asked lightly as she pressed the buttons randomly. Simon turned to look at her, raising a brow curiously as he rummaged through a bin of video game equipment in front of the TV. "B is for butt and the point of the game is obviously to _kick_ _butt_ right I mean…"

Simon laughed shortly, unable to help it as he paused in his search to look over Clary incredulously. His best friend was smiling mischievously at him from her place crossed legged on his bed.

"Well, Fray, if you have such a big problem with the way that the designers made the game then why don't we switch gears and play…Aha!" Simon said in triumph, pulling out the case excitedly. He grinned before tossing it at Clary without warning, chuckling as his friend fumbled with it clumsily. "Why don't we play _that_?"

"Shadow Hunt…" Clary's nose wrinkled and her brow furrowed as she flipped the case over to look at the back. "What do we do in this game? Chase our behinds like dogs?"

"Because dogs chase their shadows? Oh you're so funny Fray, honestly I can't stop laughing, can't you see me buckling in laughter?" Simon said sarcastically as he shoved through the wires in the bin. He wrinkled his nose as he fought to untangle the wires in front of him. He glanced over his shoulder at Clary with a deadpan expression. "Ahahaha….ha! Hahaha!"

Clary responded by sticking her tongue out defiantly, and Simon felt his face split into a smile despite himself.

"Well someone is feeling sassy today…" Clary teased as she gave up on reading the back and simply looked over the pictures on the cover.

"I really hope you aren't talking about me because even the word sassy gives me the strange urge to buy lattes at Starbucks and wear scarves…" Simon muttered as he pulled out the untangled headsets victoriously. Clary laughed and Simon grinned at her lopsidedly before plugging both headsets in. "Pass me the case?" Simon asked distractedly and was surprised to feel the plastic case smack him in the back of the head. Simon heard a gasp and a surprised giggle before Clary's warm chuckles surrounded him. "Okay, ow? I suppose those rumors about video games creating more violet teens is true then…well maybe not considering you've only played for all of, I don't know, three _seconds_."

"Hey, you said seven before!" Clary shouted in defense, her voice tinged with laughter. Simon inserted the disk easily before turning back to Clary smirking.

"I was trying to be a gentleman and not make you feel bad about yourself." Simon said laughingly as he plopped beside her. Clary placed a hand over her heart in a mock swoon.

"And they say chivalry is dead! They obviously haven't met Simon Lewis!" Clary teased with exaggerated dramatics.

"You know it Babe." Simon winked at her as he passed her a headset. Clary spun it in her hands for a moment before delicately placing it on as Simon roughly shoved his own on.

"What are these for?" Clary asked in confusion as figures and pictures began to dance on the screen before her eyes. She watched curiously through the headset screen as the game preview played. Instead of watching a character run through the obstacles, the camera was rushing through them as if Clary was the one diving into the ocean, or running up the dark hill. It was strangely unsettling.

"Virtual gaming! It's like you're really there right? This thing responds to brain waves and impulses and all that crap, you don't even need a controller! It's literally the most wicked thing ever Clary, and should be a whole lot easier for you now that you don't need to remember the controls! It's all half online too, so you connect with other gamers from all over the place… Some people make their own characters but for now I think we're just going to go standard and use the ones in the database… let's play some Shad-Hunt!" Simon said enthusiastically as the game came to life. On the screen were the main avatars of the game, all in battle motion stills.

"You see the one on the left with the brown hair, blue eyes and the smolder that kind of makes him look like he's constipated and kinda makes him look like he's angry about it? That's Alec." Simon pointed out helpfully. Clary nodded, stifling a grin as she squinted at the screen thoughtfully. "On the far right, that chick with the long dark hair and braids and hot bod and also super angsty look? That's Izzy. Well her profile says Isabelle but I call her Izzy cause…well _cause_. She's got this whip that she uses and she wears a lot of leather too so she doesn't really seem like an _Isabelle_…"

"This is starting to get awkward Simon…should I leave the two of you alone?" Clary teased as she glanced between Isabelle and Simon. Simon blushed before glaring half-heartedly at his friend.

"Shut up and let me teach you grasshopper! Damn, Yoda never got this flack…" Simon prided himself in Clary's chuckle before turning back to the screen. "The Asian guy in the middle with the cloak and the peacock hair is Maggie Bane. Well Magnus but that just sounds too formal to me. Then to the left of him, all tall, blond, and kickass is my own personal favorite choice…Bob!"

"His…Your favorite characters name is Bob?" Clary asked incredulously, glancing between Simon and the screen once again. Simon nodded gravely, watching Clary's brows furrow sweetly before bursting out laughing.

"Nah, I'm just messing with you, his name is Jace." Simon said casually. Clary's punch landed solidly on his shoulder and Simon winced dramatically. "Violence! Save it for the game Fray, will ya?"

"I don't understand why you picked Maia over Izzy!" Simon exclaimed in disbelief. Clary smirked wryly as she turned her character in a stunted circle.

"Because she is a werewolf, and cool and not one of your suppressed sexual fantasies." Clary said offhandedly. Simon's cheeks heated up slightly but he covered his embarrassment with an exaggerated scoff.

"And what makes you think that? I don't discriminate Clary, all supernatural beings are welcomed into my suppressed sexual harem!" Simon grunted slightly as Clary shouldered into him ("gross Simon!") before chuckling. "Right, now Clary do you see that glowing circle on the ground in front of us? With all the runes on it? Yeah, go there and think of the number one it should bring you to the first level."

"Wait aren't you coming?" Clary asked, startled.

"Well, yeah but Portals are kind of a one at a time thing…you know too many people thinking at once... cant end well if you know what I mean…" Simon trailed off meaningfully.

"Okay… but hurry up alright? I don't know how to play!" Clary said frustrated. Simon snorted.

"Well do you want me to go first instead then? Cover you against the big bad demons while you go in?" Simon asked teasingly. Clary scowled.

"No…"Clary said halfhearted. Simon chuckled, before wincing as the earpiece of his headphone let out a high-pitched squeal. He shook his head, trying to shake away the painful sound. The sound stopped just as soon as it started, and Simon turned to see Clary cringing and crutching her headpiece. Simon chuckled uneasily before making his character walk towards the Portal.

"Damned glitches…right then Princess Clary, I'll go in before you and await your royal arrival." Simon said teasingly. However as he thought of level one, Clary punched him in the shoulder. Simon's thoughts shifted for only a second, something that normally wouldn't have mattered. However in that second, as the portal changed course, the lights also began to flicker, as the high-pitched whine came back. Simon gasped as the noise became louder and stronger, hearing Clary's moans beside him. The screen in front of his eyes began to fade in and out with static. Simon squinted as his own eyes began to fade in and out, the static surrounding his ears and encasing him, suffocating him like nothing else.

_Clary._

_Clary w-_

_Clary._

Simon's own thoughts stuttered robotically for a moment, and as he turned to his best friend, he saw Clary's unconscious form through blurred eyes. The screen continued to focus in and out, static occasionally marring his vision as he starred at his prone friend.

_Cl-_

_Clar-_

_Fray._

With suddenness that frightened him Simon realized that it was no longer the headset causing the static, but instead his own hazy eyes, and with that disconcerting thought and an echoing thud of his heart, Simon fell out of consciousness and reality.


End file.
